10 things you can do when Windows XP won't boot

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When your computer hardware appears to power up okay, but the Windows XP operating system won't boot properly, you have to begin a troubleshooting expedition that includes getting into the operating system, determining the problem, and then fixing it. To help you get started on this expedition, here are 10 things you can do when Windows XP won't boot.

#1: Use a Windows startup disk
One of the first things you should reach for when troubleshooting a Windows XP boot problem is a Windows startup disk. This floppy disk can come in handy if the problem is being caused when either the startup record for the active partition or the files that the operating system uses to start Windows have become corrupted.

To create a Windows startup disk, insert a floppy disk into the drive of a similarly configured, working Windows XP system, launch My Computer, right-click the floppy disk icon, and select the Format command from the context menu. When you see the Format dialog box, leave all the default settings as they are and click the Start button. Once the format operation is complete, close the Format dialog box to return to My Computer, double-click the drive C icon to access the root directory, and copy the following three files to the floppy disk:

Boot.ini
NTLDR
Ntdetect.com

After you create the Windows startup disk, insert it into the floppy drive on the afflicted system and press [Ctrl][Alt][Delete] to reboot the computer. When you boot from the Windows startup disk, the computer will bypass the active partition and boot files on the hard disk and attempt to start Windows XP normally.

#2: Use Last Known Good Configuration
You can also try to boot the operating system with the Last Known Good Configuration feature. This feature will allow you to undo any changes that caused problems in the CurrentControlSet registry key, which defines hardware and driver settings. The Last Known Good Configuration feature replaces the contents of the CurrentControlSet registry key with a backup copy that was last used to successfully start up the operating system.

To use the Last Known Good Configuration feature, first restart the computer by pressing [Ctrl][Alt][Delete]. When you see the message Please select the operating system to start or hear the single beep, press [F8] to display the Windows Advanced Options menu. Select the Last Known Good Configuration item from the menu and press [Enter].

Keep in mind that you get only one shot with the Last Known Good Configuration feature. In other words, if it fails to revive your Windows XP on the first attempt, the backup copy is also corrupt.

#3: Use System Restore
Another tool that might be helpful when Windows XP won't boot is System Restore. System Restore runs in the background as a service and continually monitors system-critical components for changes. When it detects an impending change, System Restore immediately makes backup copies, called restore points, of these critical components before the change occurs. In addition, System Restore is configured by default to create restore points every 24 hours.

To use System Restore, first restart the computer by pressing [Ctrl][Alt][Delete]. When you see the message Please select the operating system to start or hear the single beep, press [F8] to display the Windows Advanced Options menu. Now, select the Safe Mode item from the menu and press [Enter].

Once Windows XP boots into Safe mode, click the Start button, access the All Programs | Accessories | System Tools menu, and select System Restore. Because you're running in Safe mode, the only option on the opening screen of the System Restore wizard is Restore My Computer To An Earlier Time, and it's selected by default, so just click Next. Then, follow along with the wizard to select a restore point and begin the restoration procedure.

#4: Use Recovery Console
When a Windows XP boot problem is severe, you'll need to use a more drastic approach. The Windows XP CD is bootable and will provide you with access to a tool called Recovery Console.

To boot from the Windows XP CD, insert it into the CD-ROM drive on the problem system and press [Ctrl][Alt][Delete] to reboot the computer. Once the system begins booting from the CD, simply follow the prompts that will allow the loading of the basic files needed to run Setup. When you see the Welcome To Setup screen, shown in Figure A, press R to start the Recovery Console.

Figure A

You'll then see a Recovery Console menu, like the one shown in Figure B. It displays the folder containing the operating system's files and prompts you to choose the operating system you want to log on to. Just press the menu number on the keyboard, and you'll be prompted to enter the Administrator's password. You'll then find yourself at the main Recovery Console prompt.

Figure B

#5: Fix a corrupt Boot.ini
As the Windows XP operating system begins to load, the Ntldr program refers to the Boot.ini file to determine where the operating system files reside and which options to enable as the operating system continues to load. So if there's a problem rooted in the Boot.ini file, it can render Windows XP incapable of booting correctly.

If you suspect that Windows XP won't boot because Boot.ini has been corrupted, you can use the special Recovery Console version of the Bootcfg tool to fix it. Of course, you must first boot the system with the Windows XP CD and access the Recovery Console as described in #4.

To use the Bootcfg tool, from the Recovery Console command prompt, type
Bootcfg /parameter
Where /parameter is one of these required parameters:
/Add--Scans the disk for all Windows installations and allows you to add any new ones to the Boot.ini file.
/Scan--Scans the disk for all Windows installations.
/List--Lists each entry in the Boot.ini file.
/Default--Sets the default operating system as the main boot entry.
/Rebuild--Completely re-creates the Boot.ini file. The user must confirm each step.
/Redirect--Allows the boot operation to be redirected to a specific port when using the Headless Administration feature. The Redirect parameter takes two parameters of its own, [Port Baudrate ] | [UseBiosSettings].
/Disableredirect--Disables the redirection.

#6: Fix a corrupt partition boot sector
The partition boot sector is a small section of the hard disk partition that contains information about the operating system's file system (NTFS or FAT32), as well as a very small machine language program that is crucial in assisting the operating system as it loads.

If you suspect that Windows XP won't boot because the partition boot sector has been corrupted, you can use a special Recovery Console tool called Fixboot to fix it. Start by booting the system with the Windows XP CD and accessing the Recovery Console as described in #4.
To use the Fixboot tool, from the Recovery Console command prompt, type
Fixboot [drive]:
Where [drive] is the letter of the drive to which you want to write a new partition boot sector.

#7: Fix a corrupt master boot record
The master boot record occupies the first sector on the hard disk and is responsible for initiating the Windows boot procedure. The master boot record contains the partition table for the disk as well as a small program called the master boot code, which is responsible for locating the active, or bootable, partition, in the partition table. Once this occurs, the partition boot sector takes over and begins loading Windows. If the master boot record is corrupt, the partition boot sector can't do its job and Windows won't boot.

If you suspect Windows XP won't boot because the master boot record has been corrupted, you can use the Recovery Console tool Fixmbr to fix it. First, boot the system with the Windows XP CD and access the Recovery Console as described in #4.

To use the Fixmbr tool, from the Recovery Console command prompt, type
Fixmbr [device_name]
Where [device_name] is the device pathname of the drive to which you want to write a new master boot record. For example, the device pathname format for a standard bootable drive C configuration would look like this:
\Device\HardDisk0

#8: Disable automatic restart
When Windows XP encounters a fatal error, the default setting for handling such an error is to automatically reboot the system. If the error occurs while Windows XP is booting, the operating system will become stuck in a reboot cycle--rebooting over and over instead of starting up normally. In that case, you'll need to disable the option for automatically restarting on system failure.

When Windows XP begins to boot up and you see the message Please select the operating system to start or hear the single beep, press [F8] to display the Windows Advanced Options Menu. Then, select the Disable The Automatic Restart On System Failure item and press [Enter]. Now, Windows XP will hang up when it encounters the error and with any luck, it will display a stop message you can use to diagnose the problem.

#9: Restore from a backup
If you can't seem to repair a Windows XP system that won't boot and you have a recent backup, you can restore the system from the backup media. The method you use to restore the system will depend on what backup utility you used, so you'll need to follow the utility's instructions on how to perform a restore operation.

#10: Perform an in-place upgrade
If you can't repair a Windows XP system that won't boot and you don't have a recent backup, you can perform an in-place upgrade. Doing so reinstalls the operating system into the same folder, just as if you were upgrading from one version of Windows to another. An in-place upgrade will usually solve most, if not all, Windows boot problems.

Performing a Windows XP in-place upgrade is pretty straightforward. To begin, insert the Windows XP CD into the drive, restart your system, and boot from the CD. Once the initial preparation is complete, you'll see the Windows XP Setup screen (shown earlier in Figure A). Press [Enter] to launch the Windows XP Setup procedure. In a moment, you'll see the License Agreement page and will need to press [F8] to acknowledge that you agree. Setup will then search the hard disk looking for a previous installation of Windows XP. When it finds the previous installation, you'll see a second Windows XP Setup screen, as shown in Figure C.

Figure C

This screen will prompt you to press R to repair the selected installation or to press [Esc] to install a fresh copy of Windows XP. In this case, initiating a repair operation is synonymous with performing an in-place upgrade, so you'll need to press R. When you do so, Setup will examine the disk drives in the system. It will then begin performing the in-place upgrade.
Keep in mind that after you perform an in-place upgrade or repair installation, you must reinstall all updates to Windows.

Article source from : http://articles.techrepublic.com.com/5100-10878_11-6031733.html

How to find Trojan Horse

1) Open the System Information Utility (msinfo32.exe). You will find it at: C:program filescommonmicrosoft sharedmsinfo. This program shows you all the processes running on any windows system, even those that are hidden from the task list that you normally use to look up the running processes on your PC. Now look for task listings which you do not recognize. Check the filenames and paths. Open your virus scanner and run the executable or .dll through it.

2) Open your antivirus software (If you don't have one, download AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 7.5. It's pretty good and free). Run a virus scan. After the scan delete the value that was detected from the registry (first back up the registry!):

A) Click "Start > Run" B) Type "regedit" C) Click "OK" D) Go to the subkey:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionRun HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionRunServices HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionRun HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetServices

E) Now delete any value in the right pane that was detected during the scan F) Exit the Registry Editor

3) If the steps 1) and 2) didn't help, download the free program HijackThis. It shows all the processes running on your system. Once listed, you can manually select and delete the fishy processes.

The problem is you have to know which processes are normal and which maybe caused by a trojan. If you delete the wrong ones - if the worst comes to worst - you won't be able to restart your system. To avoid this, you can post your hijack log on some internet forums and wait for help. This can take a lot of time - and get on your nerves as well. Once, it took me more than 2 weeks to completely cure my PC from a trojan attack. Nothing seemed to help, the anti-spyware programs on my system got stuck, the internet browsers didn't run like they should and there were no ominous processes in the hickjack log. Finally, in despair I tried the NoAdware Program - it was for free. It found 14 infections and after the files were deleted, the system worked like before. I don't know if it will solve your problem, but I wish, I had this program on my system from the beginning and could save all the time I wasted - and the bad emotions. You can download it here
P.S. This may also help: Restart your computer with your Boot-CD and run an antivirus program.

http://www.ultimatetrojanremover.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steve_Wells

"b.exe" Popup

Last few days, my laptop infected with this kind of Malware and I headache to find ways to solve this problem. As I do some research, this type of malware come from zip or rar file that I extract into my laptop. This is the ways to solve this problem :

First ways

• Boot into safe mode.
• Rename it to bBAD.exe so that it does not run on boot up.
• Disable it so Windows does not try to run it on boot up.
• Restart your PC
• Update all your security software and run scans.

Second ways

• Download Malwarebytes Anti-Malware 1.40
• Install to your PC's or laptop
• Update to the internet
• Scan your PC's or laptop

If your do the second ways it more easy and faster. Just for a few minutes.

How To Manually Remove a Virus from Your Computer or Removable Disk

1. Create a back-up. Safety comes above all else. Save your files on removable storage or on another partition aside from the Windows drive.

1. Run the Windows command prompt. You can run the Windows command prompt by either clicking on the Start Menu\All programs\Accessories\Command Prompt or by pressing Windows + R on the keyboard and typing "CMD."
2. Look for the directory or folder where the virus resides. Go to the folder where the virus is hiding. Its usually resides on the Windows temporary folder or on the Windows system folder. Check partitions and drives for viruses, e.g. type "cd e:\virus"
3. Show the hidden virus and remove its attributes. It will be easier if you can see the virus. Remove the virus attributes, which are read only, archive, system file, and hidden file. e.g. type "attrib -r -a -s -h virus.vbs"
4. Delete the virus. Say goodbye to the virus by deleting it, e.g. type "del virus.vbs"

PC restarted with their own

Bootup in safe mode and then
start>>run>>type msconfig>>startup>> click all disable all
Restart>>boot up normally
Do a complete virus check with latest antivirus programs
Do a check on the internet about the programs in startup and remove the infected file

how to heal .exe viruses

I have a problem with something “New Folder.exe” and I think it is a virus. I’ve tried using an Antivirus program to scan and remove the virus but it keeps coming back. It is messing up my computer I need help getting it off!

New Folder.exe virus is a more severe virus with some unusual effects. New Folder.exe virus disables the task manager, folder options, registry editors and creates .exe’s and folders throughout the file system. If you have the New Folder.exe infection, try this fix to remove it from your computer!

1. Download SDFix to your computer, run the .exe after its fully downloaded. It will extract the files to a %systemdrive%- usually C:/SDFix (Save it to your Desktop after)

2. After this has been completed, boot up into safe mode (Hit F8 during your computer start up and in the options, chose Safe Mode)

3. Rightclick on the SDFix.zip folder and choose Extract All. Open the extracted folder – C:\ SDFix and doubleclick on RunThis.bat to start the script.

4. Type in Y and it will run the script. It will automatically remove some registry keys that are/have been infected. Once that has been complete, it will ask you to press any key to reboot– it’s ok to reboot at this moment.

5. Your computer will be slower on reboot but that is normal for this process. Once your machine boots into the operating system, the utility will complete the removal process. When it is done, press any key and your desktop will load like normal!

This should take care of your fix, Good Luck!